Cultural management and concepts

Last year brought with it a new full-time job at the Swedish Theatre (Svenska Teatern) in Helsinki. I work there and co-ordinate the three-year development project Nicken NU (Swedish for “Nicken NOW”, Nicken is one of the stages at the theatre) where we put on new drama written by contemporary playwrights together with independent theatres. If you’d like to follow what’s going on there please check out our Facebook page.

Because of this new job, I’m working very little through my own company. Some of the projects or organisations I’ve been working with are continuing and I’m still active, but mostly I’m concentrating on my new job, being a board member at TAKU, the union for arts and cultural workers as well as my Nia and TimeLessBody.

With this big change, it’s also time for me to change how and where I’m active online. This blog will no longer be updated, but I’m keeping it visible if people want to look back at some of the things I’ve posted.

If you wish to follow what’s going on with Nia and me please follow my Instragram @tanssienlapielaman (Finnish for dancing through life) which I’ve just started. There I will be posting pictures and sharing ideas from my Nia journey and how I integrate it into my daily life. This year my focus in dancing through life is “upper extrimities”; hands, arms, shoulders, fingers etc.

I also have a private Instragram @wiikkis if you want to follow what’s going on in my life in general.

A couple of weeks ago I was at the exhibition opening of artist duo Nutty Tarts‘s project Monokini 2.0 at the Finnish Museum of Photography. Monokini 2.0 is a social art project that re-examines popular culture’s narrow view of a woman’s ideal appearance, and as part of it 10 swimwear designs for women with only one breast where designed.

Saturday I was out watching the Eurovision Song Contest at DTM, the biggest gay bar in Helsinki. There is something magical about the ESC. I’ve watched it since I was little and living in Sweden I remember watching the national competition while on holidays with my family up in the North in a small and cosy cabin after skiing all day. It was something we did together as a family. For me, at almost 30, there is still something magical about ESC even though I recognize that most of the music isn’t very good.

And last weekend, Conchita Wurst won. And that was a magical moment. Each and every time she got 8, 10 or 12 points from someone the cheers took over the bar. I even had tears in my eyes as we realized that she will win.

And of course, right when we found out about her winning the discussion started.

“She won because of politics, just as a protest against Putin”.
“Putin can flush himself down the toilet – freedom and tolerance won tonight”
“We all knew that the Phoenix is unbeatable”
“Usually, especially the mid-left wing, tolerance is, that the right wing has to tolerate for instance same-sex marriage, but the left-mid wing cannot tolerate countries where it is not legal.”

For me this win was a victory! It was a victory for understanding, freedom of expression and shows there is a lot of empathy in Europe!
(I hate the word “tolerance” since it means that there is something that is totally wrong that someone should tolerate. I don’t want to be tolerated. I want to be understood and l want people to let me live my life as I prefer with whomever I chose to share my life with, and I’ll show others the same courtesy.)

Bringing up the card that left-wing people don’t tolerate the right wing opinions is a low blow in this case. I think no one was against people starting and signing a petition to ban the Eurovision from TV in certain countries. It’s everyone’s right to express their opinions as long as it’s not attacking a group of people and encouraging violence. Just as it was everyone’s right to vote for Conchita Wurst as a political statement. Although I don’t think Conchita and the song won just because she is a drag artist, I think the song won because it’s a good song in Eurovision standards and had a theme which has always been popular in the ESC and despite her being in drag. And yes, I’m also sure that many voted for her just to show support.

The problem when using the the-lefties/liberals-don’t-tolerate-right-wing-opinions card in this case, and insinuating or saying out loud that they are against freedom of speech is totally ridiculous in this case. The problem with Russia is that it’s not an open discussion where both sides are able to express their opinions right now. Laws and regulations are forbidding anyone to talk about LGBT people in a positive light, and lgbt people are not allowed to show who they really are or live in peace as they are in their own home country. People will always have differing opinions because we are brought up differently, live in different environments and have different values, and that’s totally okay as long as everyone can express those opinions and feelings peacefully. And I think it’s important to have these discussions between people of differing opinions. That way we can learn to understand each other even if we don’t agree, and maybe never will.

And this restriction to the right of freedom of speech is now not only concerning LGBT people and issues, it’s just the most visible part of the whole thing. Last week (if I remember correctly) Putin signed a law that forbids usage of curse words in any media or artworks, including books and theatre pieces (read the BBC article here). Those already created must have warning signs on them if they do contain any curse words, but new content created can’t have curse words at all. Also several officials from the Russian cultural ministry favoured censoring certain children’s literature including Astrid Lindgren’s Karlsson On-The-Roof and Donald Duck because they don’t support Russian traditional family values enough (original article in Swedish). So again, this is then not anymore about an open discussion and voicing opinions, but about censorship.

And worst of all; all of this leads to a lot of violence in Russia at the moment. LGBT people, especially gay men are attacked, physically violated and persecuted. An open discussion is always good! Voicing one’s opinion should always be permitted unless it’s attacking groups of people and urges towards violence. Violence is never okay! Censorship isn’t either!

Nia trainer Helen Terry is coming to Helsinki June 14, 2014! Helen is giving two classes and a workshop and they are open for all! Early Bird prices are valid until May 14, so register and come dance with me!

Welcome to the opening festivities of the Pop Up Art House Exhibition!

The fine art selection of Pop Up Art House spring 2014 converses about feminism using means of installation, sculpture, video and photograph. Finnish and international artists form a carnivalesque visual dialogue about definitions of gender.